Check-out was 11:00 so no need to rush this morning. Of course then I checked the train which led to that little adventure covered in my other post.

Once all had been confirmed I could relax and return to sightseeing. On the way to the station I had passed BC Place, the stadium that was used for the Winter Olympics.  so on the way back I paused to take some shots. This one is a fairly conventional one but I took some close ups of the side that I'll try and work with for Instagram.

Looking back from the stadium I noticed the paintings under this pier.

I wandered a bit and found some lunch, then made my way to the Vancouver Art Gallery.  When buying my ticket they were so immensely proud of their collection of Canadian art. That was great to see. It wasn't a huge collection but there was a wide selection of eras and styles. Some major areas were being set up for other exhibitions so I suspect I missed some things. 

The main exhibition was works by Landon Mackenzie and she had chosen works by a famous Canadian artist Emily Carr to show along side hers. I thought it was a great idea and the works and styles really complemented each other. And it was a great way for Landon for pay homage to Emily Carr.  

After the gallery I decided to take one last look at the bay. It was blue and clear by then. I took some more pictures but you've seen what the bay looks like already. 

Vancouver is a very shiny city. Lots of glass buildings. One side effect of that is that you'll often see two different styles of architecture juxtaposed in reflection. 

I walked past a fountain I've seen a few times so I thought I'd take a shot from a different angle.

I took some pictures of this building on my first day from across the road. I took these close ups today to show the incredible detail on the fascade and doorway.

Farewell Vancouver. It's been fun.

Vancouver station had wi-fi so one last chance for a quick post before I board. Today was a bit of an odd day. It started innocent enough. As recommended, I went online this morning to check the departure time of the train. No matter how I tried to search I came up with nothing. Alarm bells rang! What if the train had been cancelled? I've read of that happening. And of course there was the memory of my experience last year trying to get from Amsterdam to Berlin.

I needed to get this sorted out before doing anything else. I decided to walk to the station. It was a little way but nothing really compared to all the walking I've done lately. And besides, there might be things to see on the way.

While walking I calmly put a plan B together, just in case. I found the station easily. 

Before long my journey had been confirmed. Yes, the train was still running. All on time, nothing to worry about. I took the opportunity to work out where I'd need to check-in my luggage later too.

But the BIG revelation was that I'd been reading the departure time incorrectly. Dumbo me had misconverted railway time yet again. The train departs at 8:30 not the 10:30 I had in my head. Silly thing is, when I then checked my online itinerary it said 8:30 clear as day. Anyway, had it not been for this little adventure I might not have made it to the station in time; I could easily have missed the train!

I have some other stories and some pictures from today but I'll put them in a post a bit later. For now, all I need to do is sit in the lounge and wait to board. 

Today is my last day in Vancouver. The weather is still drizzly so I think I'll do a few indoor activities like art galleries and museums. I'd purposely left those for inclement weather days.

Tonight I catch the train across to Toronto. It's a long trip, taking 4 nights. I won't reach Toronto until early Saturday morning.

I believe there may be wi-fi at the train station tonight, maybe one or two along the way, but other than that it will be radio silence from me for a few days. When I'm back fully online I'll hopefully have some nice pictures from the journey. 

After walking all morning I was exhausted again by 2:30 so I decided to call it a day. The weather was turning nasty and soon the constant rain on the windows validated my decision.

Sitting in my room, thumbing through the pictures of the day and writing down words is fun. But I can't stop that little voice in my head that keeps telling me I should have been more social. I've certainly had the opportunity. Davie Street is filled with places to go and part of me feels I ought to have made an effort to meet some locals.

I think the real reason I haven't is that I know it would just have been a "box ticking" exercise.  There are things I don't do out of fear; fear of making a mistake or looking stupid. This trip has suffered from a couple of those moments, but not too many so far. Then there are things I don't do because I really don't want to; I just think I should. So far, being social (or unsocial to be precise) is a bit of both but mainly the latter. I know that later in my trip I will be forced to get out more; I won't have the sanctuary of an apartment to retreat to. There will be many social opportunities for the taking. I just need to stop beating myself up about the now.

I was in bed early last night; exhausted from my day of walking. And very unlike me, I didn't rise until after 9:00 this morning. The weather was fine but overcast. I figured it could go either way; clouds clearing or clouds getting heavier. I decided it made sense to get out as soon as possible but it was definitely a struggle today.

After breakfast and starting a load of washing I headed out. Like yesterday, I stopped by a little bakery on the way to pick up a pastry for later. While the weather was OK I decided to return to Stanley Park and see more of it. I walked to the end of Davie Street where this sculpture from a previous biennale greeted me.

The other side of the street was the sea and one of the small beaches dotted along the western side of downtown. All of the beaches have logs arranged in lines. I assume it's seating for people who flock here in the summer. The sand is coarse; a mid brown colour.

As I've walked through the streets of downtown it's been quite common to see trees perched atop high rises.

The bay is English Bay. It appears to be a parking lot for ships before or after their journey across the Pacific.

The shore along the seawall varies. Sometimes the sea comes up to the wall. Other times there are small areas of sand and driftwood or forest wood between the sea and the land.

The water here is crystal clear. In most places you can see the sand and the rocks beneath the surface.

And after gazing at the wide expanse of sea to my left I could turn to my right and gaze back into the forest undergrowth and towering trees.

The seawall isn't straight or curved in grand arcs. There are little bays, inlets and coves all along it.

As I rounded one of these coves I reached Siwash rock. A monolith in the sea with significant meaning to the indigenous people.

As you'd expect, the sea is full of birdlife. The gulls are quite happy to bob around close to people.

By now I'd walked much further than I'd originally intended and soon the Lion's Gate bridge was in view; this time from the other side. Over two days I'd virtually circumnavigated the park.

Today, for the first time, the mountains were clear of low cloud.

It was time to turn around. I decided to make my way inland a little and see some more of the forest. Even from the trail you could catch glimpses of the seawall.

At many places along the wall there are hedges of what looks like bramble; rough and untamed.

As I made my way inland I passed this bird. Clearly he hadn't got the function of a seat quite figured out. I wondered what/who the flowers were for. Many of the benches in the park have lovely inscriptions for departed loved ones. Maybe these were left in remembrance of someone special?

The forest floor on this side of the park was slightly different from the trails I walked yesterday.

Around this time I stumbled across what I think was a racoon. I tried to snap it but my camera was still set for landscape pictures and all I could manage was a grey blur that no-one would believe was anything of interest. However, before long I made it to Lost Lagoon where there was a group of them milling around a family. I managed to get a proper shot this time.

Lost Lagoon is a large lake in the bottom of the park surrounded by tall trees on some sides and a small beach on another. Near the viewing point I saw this map and realised exactly how far I had walked over the last couple of days. I've pretty much walked all the way around it and some of the middle. No wonder I have blisters on my feet.

It was only about 2:00 but I was done and the first spits of rain had just hit my glasses. It was time to return to the hotel. On the way I paused for one last photo when I saw these colourful planters. I can imagine how magnificent they must have looked a month or two ago.

Time to rest my feet.

After descending from the forest I reached the seawall and walked along.

During my journey back to the city I encountered a number of random treats.

This lady, like the one I met earlier in the day, wasn't inclined to conversation.  But that's OK, neither was I.

A glance back gave me a perfect view of the clouds loitering around the mountains.

And by total chance I managed to catch this image of a squadron heading off on a mission.

My path eventually brought me to these totems. Intricate, colourful and rich in meaning.

By now I was back to modern civilisation. My only disappointment has been the lack of colour in the trees. Last year in Europe the colours were amazing. Sadly, Stanley Park seems to be mainly populated with evergreens and conifers. But I did at least get to see this tree.

And then I was back. This time from the nautical side of the city.

After over 7 hours of walking my feet are pads of pain! Wonderful day, though.

Stanley Park is massive and I knew I had no chance of seeing it all today. So my plan was to go directly to the Lion's Gate bridge and then work my way back on the eastern side.

I figured the most reliable way of getting to the bridge was to follow the roadway. The constant traffic passing me on the left didn't diminish the beauty and lure of the increasingly dense forest to my right. Pathways would branch off the main walkway from time to time. 

At one stage I came across an intriguing spiral overpass.

I took neither. 

Along my journey I'd noticed some rather large slugs. This one was kind enough to let me take his photo.

As you would expect, the woodland was populated with tall trees and dense bushes.

By now the air was fresh. My dragon breath fogged up my glasses on a couple of occasions, but due to my natural tendency to power walk in even the most casual of circumstances I was warm inside. It wasn't long before I reached "the bridge". The following pictures are out of sequence but they probably make more sense this way. 

The bridge is spectacular, spanning a massive divide. 

As I approached the walkway I passed this sad but hopeful sign.

I walked a little way along the bridge. I'm not a big fan of heights so I had no intention of going very far. There was a viewing area by the first pylon that was enough for me. 

It was a long way down.

But turning around I could see Downtown Vancouver peeking above the masses of trees in the park.

And although I was biased towards the bridge of steel and city beyond, I did pause to gaze at the Pacific to the east (that sounds so weird).

The viewpoint for the bridge had an amazing garden of wild flowers. I suspect they were past their prime but they still looked vibrant and beautiful.

After getting my bridge fix I decided to find a trail that would take me down to the walk along the seawall that surrounds the park. The forest was beautiful and for a time I was alone, wandering through this magical space inhabited by giant trees, wooden skeletons and rich green moss. Each path curved to conceal what lay beyond.

My journey took me to Beaver Lake. Although I'm assured there were beavers in residence, none of them were game to make an appearance for me. Beavers must be camera shy.

I made my way along tiny trails down the to seawall, past tall trees and gentle streams until finally I made contact with civilisation.

And that leads me to my next post ...

I woke around 7:00 which is almost late for me. Opening my eyes I instantly felt thankful that I hadn't gone out last night. Being reclusive has it's upside and this morning I felt fresh enough to get up and out early. The skies were already overcast and, given yesterday's change in weather, I didn't want to risk squandering the dry part of the day.

Today's objective was to explore Stanley Park; a massive reserve adjacent to downtown Vancouver. To get there I still needed to navigate the streets of the city.  

The first intersection was this one on Davie that I'm already quite familiar with. In the quiet of a Sunday morning I took the ooppportunity to take a picture. Rainbow crossing. 

My route took me through some gorgeous streets and very distinctive houses and buildings.

By the time I made it to West Georgia Street I'd returned to the more familiar glass high rises. But this building, perched on a small pedestal stood out.

On the edge of Stanley Park I came across this lady. She wasn't very talkative.

I have so many pictures from the park that I'm going to write a separate post for them.

After calming down (and a glass of Rose) I didn't want to waste the sunlight.

I headed westward to catch the sunset. Last night I went to the same location and there were only a couple of other people in sight. Tonight it was the place to be. People were sitting on logs on the beach as if they were waiting for a performance to begin. For a moment I wondered if I'd missed the memo; maybe this was the end of the world and they'd all come to watch.

In the end, the world didn't end (as you know). People just liked watching the sunset over the pacific. Couples, groups, individuals, joggers, dog walkers, cruisers ... all enjoying the final remnants of warmer weather. 

And of course I took one or two pictures.

Very glad I made the effort.

I was planning to go out tonight. There are bars and clubs all along this street.  But after today I don't really want to be around people. I think I need some time to recharge. It's a long weekend in Canada; maybe tomorrow night?

As I made my way under the bridge to the Island I paused to look back at the lines of the bridge. I framed a shot. A couple walked into my frame so I paused, lowered my camera and waited for them to pass. I'm usually conscious and nervous of getting strangers coming towards me in my pictures. I thought my intent was fairly obvious.

As the couple passed, the man agressively addressed me. I'm not exactly sure of the words but I soon realised he was accusing me of taking the picture; of photographing them. It was an honest mistake; I can see how he may have drawn that conclusion.

I explained. I showed him my pictures. I proved that they were absent from my camera. I thought that should be enough. But he continued to give me "advice" on how my actions could have been perceived; not in a friendly, constructive way but in a belligerent abusive way; still taking the line that I was in the wrong. 

I was polite. I accepted his "advice". But inside I was fuming. I don't respond well when my integrity is questioned. I had done nothing wrong. Quite the opposite of what he accused. And what made me most upset was the total lack of acknowledgement or concession on his part.

In the end I get it. He was an arsehole and nothing I could have said would have changed the outcome. But I didn't deserve being treated that way. It stayed with me for hours until I eventually let it go. 

But it does make me more cautious about people. 

As I awoke I could hear the swish of cars on the rain drenched streets. A look out of the window confirmed my assessment. It was drizzling still. Before long the drizzle turned into solid rain hitting the windows. Determined not to waste a day I proceeded to hatch a plan.

While checking Facebook (as you do) my friend Donna messaged me. Donna lives in Edmonton and at last we're nearly in the same time zone. We chatted and it was lovely to reconnect. Hopefully we'll catch up later.

I turned my attention to breakfast. As with last year in Europe, I love the abundance of fresh berries in the northern hemisphere. 

By the time breakfast was over, a quick look out the window revealed a break in the rain and cloud cover. I ditched my wet weather plan in a heartbeat and got myself ready to head out. My plan was to get to Granville Island. It's not really an island. It's a peninsular. I wasn't sure if you could walk there but I decided to give it a go. The main bridge is quite massive, but easily walked.

Looking back I could see the high rises of downtown Vancouver.

As the bridge crossed the bay I noticed these little "aquabus" ferries darting from one side to another.

Parallel to the bridge I was on was another, older bridge. Below it an expansive marina so full of boats you wonder how any of them manage to get out to sea.

Markers in the water caught my eye.

Before long I'd made it to the other side. Then I proceeded to wind my way back under the bridge to the "Island". Something about the concrete columns enticed me.

Nearby there was what seemed like a disused train station. The shelter was supported by timber with beautiful colours and grain.

Then finally I reached the "Island".

Granville Island is a collection of produce markets, artisan shops and eateries. I was really impressed with the quality of most of it. The produce market was outstanding and, dare I say it, probably even better than Adelaide's Central Market. The range and quality of produce was amazing. I wish I could have taken pictures of the arrays of fresh berries; incredible! But I didn't due to something I'll explain in part 2.

I did, however, buy a small photographic print from the artist on another stall. It was great to talk to him and find out the story behind the picture. I would have bought a large print but sadly I'd have nowhere to put it. 

Following something I'll explain in part 2 I needed a place to sit and calm down. This chap was nearby and luckily didn't seem to mind my attention. 

I spent a few hours on the Island, looking around and buying a couple of items. It was really lovely and I cherished the opportunity to interact with some of the artisans.

Eventually it was time to head home. I decided to walk on the other side of the bridge and got the opportunity to photograph these silos on the Island.

By now the sun was fully out and the view was spectacular.

Although my legs felt like jelly I decided to take the long way back to the hotel in case another image presented itself. I was rewarded by the dappled light on this gorgeous old building.

Eventually I made it back to the hotel and refreshed with a glass of local Rose. Very nice indeed!

Not wanting to waste the sunlight I only stayed long enough to refresh before heading out to catch the sunset. More of that in part 3.

I came across this scene on my wanders in downtown Vancouver today. Sure, it's been constantly in my consciousness since Before the Dawn, but Among Angels immediately came to mind.

After regrouping for a bit I decided to brave the wetter weather and head west. Soon I made it to a "beach" and sea wall. Amongst other things I found this sculpture that rose out of the sand either like a shipwreck or the bones of a beached whale.

And near a formal stone structure to recognise the traditional artifacts of the Inuit people I found a small stretch of beach where it appears that modern day people have made their own structures. This was just one.

I knew the apartment/hotel was in the gay part of Vancouver when I booked. But even for me, it's quite a new experience staying somewhere surrounded by rainbows.

As you can see, the building rises up out of Davie street, which certainly helps with those panoramic views.

I set off in a generally eastward direction. I needed some cash and I figured my chances were likely to be most quickly realised there. Once the cash was extracted and travel card successfully engaged for the first time, it was time to wander.

I made my way to the east side of downtown and it wasn't long before I reached the shore. Across the bay are spectacular mountains that were partly shrouded with cloud.

There was a park and walkway so I decided to follow it. I like the contrast of the glass high rises peeking over the treetops.

Something about these benches, aligned to the gentle curve of the path, caught my attention.

It wasn't long before I came to a "water play" area for kids along with a cute little bit of street art.

While I was walking a number of sea planes landed in the bay, and a little tug made it's way slowly past.

Next was the convention centre and Canada Place. Shortly after I got there I saw throngs of kids milling around and I wondered if it was going to be frustrating navigating around them. It wasn't. I eventually realised they were groups of school kids armed with iPads and a list of photographic assignments. I ended up being the "here's a picture of us and a tourist" guy ... twice. (So much for trying not to look too much like a tourist!) But what struck me most was how articulate and incredibly polite these kids were. Come to think of it, so far EVERYONE here has been noticeably friendly and polite.

This is a picture of the convention centre taken from Canada Place. I think some of those school kids are still down there.

There were a number of great vantage points to enjoy the spectacular view across the bay.

But the glass of the convention centre also provided a canvas to highlight the sea birds swooping and swarming nearby.

Next I turned westward into what I assume is the CBD.

Early on today I noticed that the pedestrian lights here are unlike any I have seen anywhere else. It strikes me as unusual that they should be so different.

It wasn't long before I stumbled across this building. At first I only saw one side. But then I realised the words continued around the corner.

They say "lying on top of a building ... lying on top of a building ... lying on top of a building the clouds looked no nearer than when I was lying on the street".

Dotted in between the numerous glass and concrete towers were a few classically ornate treasures. 

And I love how new can be designed to pay respect to the old.

Vancouver is very green. Lots of tree line streets. Many are starting to change colour but so far I haven't seen anything yet quite as vivid as I saw in Berlin this time last year. Hopefully soon.

When I arrived last night I noticed many overhead wires. I assumed they were for trams. Well trams like we have in Australia, at least. Today I realised they are more like busses connected to the grid.

And speaking of the grid, when I stumbled across the first lane like this I couldn't quite make sense of it. Just doesn't seem to fit in here.

By now it had started to rain lightly so I decided to make my way back to the apartment/hotel. I noticed a sculpture that was begging me to take this picture.

Time to regroup for a bit.

I sleptreally well last night. The bed was comfortable and it's not too noisy here. The sunlight started to appear by 6:00 and I jumped out of bed for a quick peek before heading back to bed for a bit longer. But I was up by 7:00, eager to get some early morning pictures. Feeling good with little apparent jet lag … so far.

I can see this building from the kitchen window. So many trees so high up.

Once I got the coffee machine figured out I sat down to make some plans. Unfortunately it seems the wi-fi in the apartment is a bit erratic so posts might be intermittent while I'm here.

First adventure was to get some cash. From there I walked for a few hours until the rain started. I took lots of pictures and have lots to write about. But I'll leave all that for the next post as I'm going to pop out again for a little while before the weather gets any wetter.

The last couple of hours in Hong Kong airport were spent having dinner in one of the restaurants and wandering around. Dinner at Cafe Deco was good with live jazz music and a cozy atmosphere.

It still cracks me up how much everything appears to cost until you convert it. Dinner with desert and two beers came to HK$ 580 but that equated to around AUS$ 94. Still a bit pricey but it was good food and service.

Once the flight finally appeared on the departure board I located the gate and stayed around that part of the terminal. 

I still had plenty of time so I found a small bar for a cheeky martini or two.

The flight appeared to be only 2/3 full at most. I'd carefully selected my seat at the front of economy. I finished up having plenty of leg room and no-one sitting next to me. The potential for sleep was looking good. 

By the time supper was over and cleared away I'd settled myself down. I think I managed to sleep a bit but it was really bumpy as we flew past Japan, probably related to the recent typhoon. By the time the weather calmed down it was already the time I had decided to wake up. I wanted to try and start adjusting for Vancouver time.

The plane was a 777-300 which has a camera mounted beneath it you can view through the entertainment. I watched as we floated over the beautiful blue Pacific dotted with occasional white fluffy clouds. Very relaxing.

The flight finished up landing nearly an hour ahead of schedule. Getting through customs was easy and I found a really friendly and chatty taxi driver to get me to the apartment. And I survived my first North American tipping scenario!

The apartment is in a great location downtown but, as usual, doesn't quite live up to the image on the net. It will be perfectly OK for me though, and I have much more glamorous accommodation to look forward to in my next cities. 

It does, however, have a great wide view from the balcony.

So, I'm writing this post know in the hope I'll start to nod off and get some quality sleep. I wanted to be exploring as soon as I can tomorrow morning.